Page 27 of Fatally Yours

August spent the rest of the day searching through Officer Wilson’s house, picking up various valuables and rifling through boxes of paperwork in hopes of finding any information on the person who killed him. Every so often, I thought I could hear his melodic voice serenading himself.

I was curled on the couch after washing our clothes, listening to the sounds of him shuffling until it would hopefully put me to sleep—even if I hadn’t slept since the initial night of normalcy.

I didn’t want to think about what we did earlier that morning, let alone how I encouraged it or the idea that there was a dead body just a few feet away from me.

The hostility of death was creeping up on me faster than I could comprehend, and I hoped I would learn how to tame it before it got out of hand. That was the only thing I could ever be jealous of August for—the self-control that he had in death.

My head was buried in my knees again as footsteps emerged from the other room.

When I looked up, he was holding a thick file with a blank expression.

I knew exactly what it was. He didn’t acknowledge me as he tossed it onto the counter, flipped it open, and glared at it.

The silence was deafening, but it was the most important quiet we would ever have.

No singing, no talking, not even the birds were chirping—stark, enveloping silence.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed, as I didn’t lift my head from the couch once.

Whenever I opened my eyes, he was flipping through the almost novel-sized amount of papers before him.

The glow of the sun was fading, indicating the end of the day.

I wondered if he would have us stay here for the night, while Officer Wilson decayed in the other room.

The thought made me want to be sick, but I realized that I was already used to resting beside the dead.

Then I heard an engine outside growing louder and pulling into the driveway. My heart practically restarted in my chest. August glanced at me as I shot up, instinctively running to the front door to look out the peephole.

The roar died down, and I heard the sound of a strangely familiar set of beeps as I pressed my face to the door.

The almost drowsy feeling I felt only a moment before rolled into confusion as two of our companions’ faces came into view.

My jaw dropped as I turned to face August, who was watching me intently with his alluring eyes.

A moment later, a set of knuckles rapped on the only thing separating us from the outside world.

“It’s Mandy and Wes,” I said.

“What the fuck? Why?”

“I don’t know. Probably because they feel guilty about burying me.”

“They should.”

My shoulders drooped. He was right, but I hated to think about the guilt they felt after, even if it was the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced.

Watching August die was horrific, but being buried alive was another level of hell I never thought I would have to go through, let alone so soon after the trauma of him being ripped away from me.

“You know they didn’t mean it…”

“I know they didn’t,” he said. “That’s why it hurts so much.

” He looked back at the papers as another knock echoed through the room.

The sound got stuck in my head and rattled around in my skull.

It was like a siren call. Seeing our friends again would be nice, but I wasn’t sure he would permit that. My eyes fell to the side.

“Can I let them in?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“I think you know why,” he said gruffly, giving me a stern expression. Low voices were coming from the outside, making me think they were discussing leaving. My eyes bored into his in a pleading manner, hoping to convince him to allow us to be reunited. Finally, he sighed and returned to the file.

“Fine. Let them in,” he said. “But let me do the talking.” For the first time in what felt like forever, I grinned.

“Thank you,” I breathed. In return, August flashed me a small smile with no teeth, but it faded faster than I would’ve liked. Before they could leave, I hastily flipped the lock and pried open the door, finally breaking the barrier between us.

Mandy was there in her signature dark attire, and Wes looked more tired than usual, but otherwise okay. Their eyes grew large as the color drained from Mandy’s face. Wes’ jaw dropped as he struggled to find the words amidst the shock.

“N-Natasha?!” he stuttered. Mandy began trembling until her legs fell out beneath her. Wes muttered something under his breath as he pulled her to her uncooperative feet.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I said blankly, remembering how August greeted me when we reunited.

“Close the door now ,” August grumbled from the other room.

I glanced over my shoulder and nodded to him, grabbing Wes by the shirt and pulling him inside.

He struggled to keep Mandy upright as he hooked his arms around her waist. Her head hung limp between her shoulders as she muttered something in her half-conscious state.

After they were in, I slammed the door shut and locked it.

“W-what the fuck, dude? W-we buried you…” Wes said with beads of sweat forming along his brow.

“Yeah, you did. I was there.”

“Oh shit, you heard everything, didn’t you?” I nodded and nibbled my lip, shooting a glance at August in the kitchen, who our friends neglected to notice through the panic and unconsciousness.

“If you’re shocked to see me, you’re going to be really shocked to see him.” I gestured to August. Wes’ jaw practically hit the floor as he released Mandy. She fell with a grunt as his hands went to his face.

“W-what the fuck is going on here?” he cried. August shot him his deathly glare, and I noticed his fists curl from across the room.

“You buried my girl.”

“It worked. It fucking worked…” he said in disbelief. I watched as his chest rose and fell as he was unable to comprehend the sight of two dead people reanimated. Mandy groaned from her place on the ground as Wes placed his palm on his forehead.

“Sit down,” August demanded. “I still haven’t decided how pissed I am at you.” Without protest, Wes nodded, grabbed Mandy beneath her arms, and hoisted her onto the couch. I could see a drop of sweat run down his face, and for a moment, a pang of jealousy struck me.

To be alive again…

It was dead silent as I stood there with my hands clasped in front of my chest, waiting for him to speak about our predicament.

Wes was stroking Mandy’s jagged hair and muttering something under his breath.

The only thing I could make out was vulgarities.

August continued to scan the file as Mandy began to stir, lifting her head from Wes’ lap.

“I swear I saw Natasha…” she murmured as she wiped strands from her face and sat up. She kneaded her eyes with her knuckles. When she removed them, she blinked once, twice, a final time, and then screamed at the top of her lungs, making me wince .

Her eyes were rounded as she glanced around. Then she noticed August and let out another shrill sound that made my ears ring. Her gaze darted between us as she drew her legs to her chest.

“Someone please tell me what the fuck is going on here, now!” she cried as her face paled.

I almost wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Honestly, I thought she was tougher than that, with all those macabre shows she watched and her ghoulish interests.

That wasn’t even considering her boyfriend, who was currently rotting on death row.

Her face drained further of color as she shook her head, coming to the realization.

“The ritual worked…” she said in awe. “But we didn’t…

not for you… not yet…” She looked at me, her face twisted with a perverse mix of amazement and shock.

My brow raised, thinking about them discussing trying again after our perceived failure.

It was strange to remember how stupid we all felt and the way I embarrassed myself again in front of them by breaking down in tears.

“I brought her back,” August said. “I killed her. And I brought her back.” Mandy’s eyes were so wide that I feared they would pop out of her skull.

“ Y-you killed her?!” she exclaimed. He nodded.

“So you’re both…” Wes trailed off, his morose expression and corpse-pale face said it all. He almost looked like us—drained of blood, lifeless, lacking a soul.

“Dead. Yes,” August said. Mandy’s hands fell from her face as she sucked in a breath, giving Wes a look.

“T-that was a stupid question,” she said with a tremble in her voice. She took another breath that made my jealousy turn into an inferno, but I stifled it only because there was no way to regain life.

“How did you bring her back?” Mandy was pulling herself together as the quivering in her legs came to a halt, and her curiosity was piqued. Wes rolled his eyes and swiped his hand across his forehead in a poor attempt to quell his fear.

“I can’t tell you,” August said.

“Could you… bring me back?” Before I could blink, Wes shot up from his place on the couch, smacking her on the arm with the back of his hand .

“Mandy!”

“I was just curious!” She gave him an eye roll. “Not like I was going to go get myself killed or anything.”

“Right,” he said sarcastically, settling back on the couch. Mandy turned to August with a glint in her eye—one I was all too familiar with.

“So, could you?”

“No,” August said. “I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“ Can’t, ” he hissed. “I only got one. I chose Natasha. End of discussion.”

“Man, being dead made you no fun,” she pouted, crossing her arms. Wes pressed his thumb and index finger to his brow with a sigh.

“If you had any idea what we’ve been up to, you would definitely have the opposite opinion,” he said with a hint of a smirk, flipping through another page. “Take that as you will.”

“Why’s that?” Wes asked.

“We killed Devin.”

“You did not.”